“I wish the government would focus on the poverty among the elderly and address the current reliance on state subsidies, instead of fixating on arithmetic,” said Ventura to journalists in Évora.
A day after British magazine The Economist named Portugal the “economy of the year” for 2025 among the world’s 36 wealthiest countries, Chega’s president and presidential candidate emphasized the need to understand the criteria behind this classification, noting that the country ranks poorly in other areas.
“Portugal is also ranked poorly in terms of elderly and retiree poverty, dependency on state subsidies, economic reliance on the state, and bureaucracy levels,” he argued, stressing the need for a comprehensive approach.
Ventura believes that the AD (PSD/CDS-PP) executive could leverage The Economist’s ranking to shift its economic perspective.
“I would like the government to seize this opportunity to view the economy as a service to people, rather than mere arithmetic or an Excel sheet to show the European Union,” he asserted.
For the presidential candidate running in the election on January 18, 2026, “people know that things are not like this.”
“There’s no point in deceiving people with rankings and numbers, which merely distort reality,” he emphasized.
The rankings that should matter, “if the government wants to do something, are those that decrease poverty, reduce reliance on state subsidies, and increase salaries to prevent young people from leaving the country,” Ventura argued, highlighting this as Portugal’s priority and the battle he aims to fight as President.
André Ventura visited Évora today, accompanied by Chega militants and supporters of his presidential bid, where he engaged with local merchants and residents in a walk through the historic city’s streets.
Besides addressing other topics, the presidential candidate was questioned about his stance on the new labor package prompting a general strike on Thursday and reiterated his firm opposition to any measures in Portugal that undermine workers’ rights while rewarding those who do not work.
“We should have a government focused on making laws for shift workers, those working overtime, to prevent dismissals like an open bar – that is, not stripping people of their rights,” he stated, because “we have the economic capacity for labor laws that enhance rather than diminish rights.”
